Cleaning compositions can be used to treat and/or remove soils and stains from soft surfaces, such as fabrics, carpets, rugs and upholstery, and hard surfaces, such as wood, stone, tile, granite, ceramic, laminate, plastic and glass. Cleaning compositions can also be used to sanitize, sterilize or otherwise disinfect surfaces to destroy or render innocuous bacteria, viruses, fungus and mites. Cleaning compositions can be provided with a variety of components to facilitate the cleaning action of the composition, such as oxidizing agents and enzymes. Hydrogen peroxide is an example of an oxidizing agent used in cleaning compositions to facilitate cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. Enzymes such as proteases, amylases and lipases can also be used to facilitate cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. The use of both oxidizing agents and enzymes can further enhance the cleaning and sanitizing capabilities of a composition.
Oxidizing agents, such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide, can interact with enzymes and degrade the enzymes such that they become partially or completely inactivated in the cleaning composition. Oxidizing agents can also interact with some stains such that the stain becomes unsusceptible to the enzyme.
To address the incompatibility of oxidizing agents and enzymes in cleaning compositions, the cleaning composition can be configured so as to delay the release of the oxidizing agent until after the enzymes have had a chance to treat the surface. For example, U.S. Publication No. 2007/0027053 to Di Bono, published Feb. 1, 2007 and titled “Detergent Composition Comprising Coated Bleach Particle,” discloses a composition comprising a bleaching agent encapsulated in a coating that is digestible by enzymes present in the composition. The bleaching agent is released into solution once the enzymes digest the coating. U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,664 to Anderson et al., issued Dec. 20, 1983 and titled “Compatible Enzyme and Oxidant Bleaches Containing Cleaning Composition,” discloses a cleaning composition comprising an enzyme and a slow release oxidizing bleach. An effective amount of a reducing agent is present in the cleaning composition to deactivate the oxidizing bleach to permit the enzymes to degrade biochemical soils before the bleaching action begins. U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,276 to Gassenmeier et al., issued May 1, 2001 and titled “Ph-Controlled Release of Detergent Components,” discloses a detergent composition comprising a bleaching agent which is coated with a coating that dissolves slowly in water, delaying the release of the bleaching agent into the water such that enzymatic cleaning can take place before most of the bleaching agent is present.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,276 to Gassenmeier et al. also discloses an advantage of delaying the release of the oxidizing agent until after the enzymatic cleaning has occurred is that the oxidizing agent destroys any excess enzymes to prevent the enzymes from remaining on the laundry, which can result in odor formation.